Anthony Joshua’s hopes of redemption have taken a hit as Oleksandr Usyk has reiterated his wish to face Daniel Dubois in his next bout.
The WBO had ordered Usyk and Joseph Parker to start negotiations for a mandatory heavyweight fight, giving them a 30-day deadline to agree on terms after Parker’s victory over Martin Bakole. The WBO stated: “Please be advised that the WBO World Championship Committee is hereby ordering the commencement of negotiations between the subject matters fighters to discharge the WBO mandatory championship obligation in the Heavyweight Division.”
The organisation further declared: “By virtue of this order, the WBO Interim Championship shall be terminated expeditiously in compliance with our institutional policy of only one world champion per weight class. The parties have 30 days to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in this Committee ordering purse bid proceedings in accordance with WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”
This development initially seemed like good news for ‘AJ’, who is eager to reverse his previous loss to ‘Triple D’. Their encounter at Wembley Stadium last September saw Dubois secure a knockout victory in the fifth round against Joshua. Yet, Usyk’s latest declaration of intent to challenge Dubois throws a wrench into Joshua’s plans for a comeback fight.
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Ukrainian boxer Usyk has expressed his eagerness to take on Daniel Dubois in the ring, stating in an interview with Al Arabiya News: “We want to fight Dubois. My team is ready. A lot depends on how God will give us a way to do it and the second person who can do it is His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, because he is the person who can organise this fight. I think there would be obstacles otherwise.”
Usyk praised Saudi Arabia as a boxing venue, saying: “The only person who can organise it is His Excellency and the Riyadh season. You know, I always fought on the land of my opponents. At present, Saudi Arabia has created the best environment, and organised these fights, so it has become like my second home. When I box in Saudi Arabia, it feels like our second home – great people, great fans. We can go to look around and meet with people. Currently, we cannot host fights in Ukraine, but we can have them in Saudi Arabia – they are very kind to us.”
With anticipation building for a rematch between Usyk and Dubois, speculation is rife that the potential undisputed heavyweight world title bout could be staged at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, confirmed to Sky Sports: “We are now working on this fight [Usyk vs Dubois II], Wembley as one of the options.” The two heavyweights previously clashed in 2023, where Usyk emerged victorious with a ninth-round TKO. The fight was not without controversy, however, as Dubois had floored Usyk with a body shot that was subsequently ruled a low blow before the fight reached its halfway mark.
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If Usyk achieves his goal and defeats Dubois once again, he has his sights set on a bout with ex-UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Despite Pereira’s recent title loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, ‘The Cat’ is still keen on a showdown with ‘Poatan.’ “Yes, I would be interested [in a Pereira fight], but only after the fight with Daniel to merge our belts,” Usyk declared. “I even considered the option of fighting in a cage. It is a joke, but every joke contains an element of truth.”
